<p>My daughter who is a sophomore will need to chose her courses for next year. She is interested in the medical profession e.g. pediatric doctor. She currently takes all honors classes and is on the Dean’s list. She is not sure if she should drop Band (taken for two years), or drop Spanish to accommodate an AP class. My daughter also plays piano and has a private teacher which she will continue with until senior year of H.S (participates in NYSSMA). She also has one additional elective for another AP class making it two AP classes for Junior year. Could you please recommend which AP classes and what course to drop? She is trying to get into the combined undergrad/med school program like Siena and Albany Medical School. Volunteers year round in a hospital. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>She should take 4 years of English, math through Calculus, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and one or two science APs. She should take a minimum of one year of World History and one year of US History. I would recommend taking the AP in US History. Many states have a government requirement. Many schools want a minimum of three years of Spanish, many prefer to see 4. I think a future doctor should not drop Spanish. She might have a government requirement (our state does). And if she had two years of Band she’s probably taken care of her art requirement. My younger son loved the camaraderie of orchestra, and took it every year despite being a pretty middling musician. I think colleges liked the commitment he made to it. Without knowing what prerequisites your high school has for courses and what she’s taken there’s no way to recommend anything in particular. Colleges don’t expect you to take every AP - you should take the ones that interest you and that are taught by good teachers at your school. In our school all the smart kids take APUSH - it’s just expected. At other schools it may be a much smaller group - or they may teach US History earlier in high school (ours does it junior year when kids really are more ready for AP type courses.)</p>
<p>Being better at Spanish can help her in a medical career. Also, the medical schools in Puerto Rico require Spanish fluency.</p>